Dorothea Train Sommerville (married name Hastings, 21 June 1934 – 18 November 2015)[1][2] was a Scottish amateur golfer. She won the 1958 Scottish Women's Amateur Championship and was a member of the 1958 Curtis Cup team.
| Dorothea Sommerville | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Dorothea Train Sommerville |
| Born | 21 June 1934 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 18 November 2015 (aged 81) Scotland |
| Sporting nationality |  Scotland |
| Career | |
| Status | Amateur |
Golf career edit
Sommerville didn't start to play golf until 1950.[2] However, she made rapid progress and played in the England–Scotland girls match in 1952.[3] In the Girls Amateur Championship that year she beat Janette Robertson at the last-16 stage but lost to Suzanne Marbrook in the quarter-finals.[4] In 1953 she was part of the British juniors team that played in the Commonwealth tournament at Formby in early July. The other teams were Britain, Canada and New Zealand.[5] In 1955 she made her debut for Scotland in the Women's Home Internationals at Royal Portrush, Scotland winning the title narrowly.[6][7] Sommerville was selected as part of a British women's team that toured Australia and New Zealand in the second half of 1955. Because many of the senior players were unavailable, the team turned into a team of five juniors, aged between 18 and 21.[8][9] The tour was such a success that the team was awarded the Association of Golf Writers trophy, the first time a team had won the award.[10]
Sommerville won the 1958 Scottish Women's Amateur Championship at Elie, beating Janette Robertson by one hole in the 36-hole final.[11] Soon after this win, Sommerville was selected for the 1958 Curtis Cup at Brae Burn Country Club.[12] The match in August was tied, with Britain retaining the cup as the previous holders. Sommerville was not chosen for the first-day foursomes and with the match being very close, she was left out of the last-day singles as well.[13] Sommerville reached the final of the Scottish Women's Amateur Championship again at Turnberry in 1960 and again played Janette Robertson. Robertson won this time, 2&1.[14] In 1963 she lost at the 20th hole, in the semi-final of the championship, to Joan Lawrence, the defending champion.[15]
Sommerville played in the Women's Home Internationals each year from 1955 to 1963, and in 1963 made her only appearance in the Vagliano Trophy at Muirfield. She won both her foursomes matches and both her singles matches.[16][17]
Personal life edit
In late 1963, Sommerville married Dr. James Hastings. She then did not play golf for about 20 years.[2] Returning to the game, she had considerable success and was the Scottish Veterans champion in 1992 and 1994.[2]
Team appearances edit
- Curtis Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1958 (tied)
- Vagliano Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1963 (winners)
- Commonwealth tournament (representing British juniors): 1953[5]
- Women's Home Internationals (representing Scotland): 1955 (winners), 1956 (winners), 1957 (winners), 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961 (winners), 1962 (winners), 1963
- England–Scotland girls match (representing Scotland): 1952
References edit
- ^ "Hastings, Miss Dorothea (nee Sommerville)". Women Golfers' Museum. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Dorothea is remembered". Renfrewshire Ladies County Golf Association. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ "Girls' match won by England". The Glasgow Herald. 3 September 1952. p. 9.
- ^ "British girls' championship". The Glasgow Herald. 5 September 1952. p. 7.
- ^ a b "Lenzie girl outstanding in women's golf". The Glasgow Herald. 3 July 1953. p. 4.
- ^ "Scotland and England draw at Portrush". The Glasgow Herald. 13 May 1955. p. 4.
- ^ "Women's golf team title for Scotland". The Glasgow Herald. 14 May 1955. p. 9.
- ^ "British women's team". The Press. Vol. XCI, no. 27585. 16 February 1955. p. 14. Retrieved 26 September 2021 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "British women juniors". The Press. Vol. XCI, no. 27674. 2 June 1955. p. 14. Retrieved 26 September 2021 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Award to junior women's team". The Glasgow Herald. 7 February 1956. p. 9.
- ^ "One-hole win for Miss Sommerville". The Glasgow Herald. 6 June 1958. p. 4.
- ^ "Curtis Cup team completed". The Glasgow Herald. 26 June 1958. p. 4.
- ^ "A Curtis Cup tie in the finest sense" (PDF). USGA Journal and Turf Management: 11. August 1958.
- ^ "Scottish title stays with Miss Robertson". The Glasgow Herald. 25 June 1960. p. 4.
- ^ Horne, Cyril (30 May 1963). "Scottish women's finalists". The Glasgow Herald. p. 7.
- ^ "Britain Women's Big Lead". The Glasgow Herald. 19 September 1963. p. 6.
- ^ "Vagliano Cup Retained by British Isles". The Glasgow Herald. 20 September 1963. p. 6.